US issues "Do Not Drive" warning to 84,000 Nissan cars

New York: US officials informed that Nissan, the car maker, has issued a "Do Not Drive" warning to owners of around 84,000 vehicles with Takata airbags for models after two dozen fatalities connected to airbag malfunction reported in the US, Agence France-Presse reported.

The warning was issued to car models between 2002 and 2006, specifically the 2002-2006 Nissan Sentra, the 2002-2004 Nissan Pathfinder and the 2002-2003 Infiniti QX4.

A notice on May 29 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration read, "NHTSA is urging all vehicle owners to immediately check to see if their vehicle has an open Takata airbag recall."

It read, "If it does, owners should contact their dealership to schedule a free repair as soon as possible and follow any warnings from the vehicle manufacturer."

Following bankruptcy, the Takata brand dissolved in 2018 after an airbag scandal. The scandal affected almost all brands of car makers, such as Toyota and General Motors. It ended up in the auto industry's largest safety recall ever.

Takata used ammonium nitrate as the chemical inflator canisters as a propellant for airbags. The chemical degrades easily, particularly during humid conditions, damaging the bag mechanism. Degraded chemical fails to deflate the bags or rupture them in some cases, ultimately firing metal shrapnel at those inside the vehicle.

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